Writers sue producers of reality TV shows

Entertainment

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood writers have filed a lawsuit against producers of TV reality shows, including "The Bachelor," as well as several networks, accusing them of violating California's labor laws.

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The suit, which is seeking certification as a class action, is designed to increase the pressure on producers to agree to an industrywide contract with those who "write" the supposedly unscripted shows.

The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that writers, who work under a variety of titles including "story editor," have experienced "sweatshop" conditions, often working 80-hour weeks without overtime pay or breaks and meal periods required by law.

Earlier, the Writers Guild of America sent letters to reality TV production companies demanding that they provide union wages and benefits to people who sift through hundreds of hours of footage to craft story lines.